29 h. ago How Ballymena boiled over: After horrifying riots sparked by two Romanians being accused of raping teen, RICHARD KAY meets the victims

But as dusk falls, the mood is transformed into something rather more sinister. Gangs of masked youths stalk the streets, barricades are set ablaze and the acrid smell of burning tyres fills the air.

Events

29 h. ago Petrol bombs and fireworks launched at police as Ballymena riots spread across Northern Ireland in fifth night of violence after 'alleged attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens'

Crowds of masked thugs gathered in Portadown where a protest had been held earlier in the evening before it descended into carnage.

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36 h. ago The Guardian view on riots in Northern Ireland: racist violence does not express ‘legitimate grievance’ | Editorial

Politicians must analyse the forces behind mob unrest, but not in terms that make excuses for itA reputation for political violence is one reason Northern Ireland has historically attracted fewer immigrants than the rest of the UK. In that context, increasing diversity could be read as a measure of progress; a peace dividend after the Troubles. That isn’t how it has felt to families cowering in fear of racist mobs this week. The riots started in Ballymena, ostensibly triggered by the arrest of two boys, reported to be of Romanian origin, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. A community vigil mutated into a racist rampage. Masked thugs targeted the local migrant population. When police came to quell the pogrom, officers were attacked with bricks, fireworks, petrol bombs. There was contagion. Windows were smashed and a fire started at a leisure centre in nearby Larne that had been used as a temporary refuge for those fleeing the Ballymena violence. There were outbreaks of di...

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37 h. ago Inside the Ballymena riots: How 'attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens' ignited wave of anti

One single fact appears to have provided the spark to ignite Ballymena in flames.

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54 h. ago Ballymena riots: Police arrest man and woman with victim 'traumatised' by days of violence

Police in Northern Ireland have faced four consecutive days of violence in the wake of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena that sparked riots, leaving residents terrified

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58 h. ago Family of girl 'sexually assaulted by Romanian teens' plead with Ballymena rioters to end violence as town braces for fourth night of chaos

Northern Ireland 's police chief Jon Boutcher said the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting since Monday.

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60 h. ago History is repeating itself in my hometown and it’s terrifying to watch

Like everywhere in Northern Ireland, Ballymena has suffered its share of atrocities. Now it’s happening all over again, writes Kate Devlin

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64 h. ago How a peaceful protest erupted into nights of violence and rocked a Northern Irish community

A demonstration organised on social media called for a ‘peaceful protest to show our anger at what cannot and will not be tolerated in this town’. But after three nights of violence, terrified families are fleeing Ballymena and displaying their nationalities on their front door

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68 h. ago Watch: Homes left smashed and charred after multiple nights of violence in Ballymena

Homes have been destroyed after several nights of unrest in Northern Ireland, where rioters hurled petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks at police.

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2 d. ago AIMEE WALSH: 'Ballymena riots aren't noble acts to protect women

Riots broke out in Ballymena, a Northern Irish town, after two teenagers were charged with the attempted rape of another teenager. Don’t be fooled, this is not about protecting women, writes critic Aimee Walsh

Politics

2 d. ago Northern Ireland riots latest: Petrol bombs and fireworks hurled at police as Ballymena violence spreads

Violence has broken out in Ballymena for the past three nights after angry mobs went on the rampage through the town’s streets

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3 d. ago Ballymena riots: DUP minister to be referred to standards commissioner after leisure centre fire

Prior to the fire, Gordon Lyons posted on social media that the leisure centre had been used to accommodate several people following riotous behaviour in the town of Ballymena

Politics

3 d. ago Rioters livestream themselves burning down a HOUSE on TikTok in Ballymena after 'Romanian' teens 'tried to rape girl'

Footage shared on social media shows thugs giggling as they torch a residential home after smashing the windows and breaking in.

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3 d. ago ‘Masked thugs’ start fire at leisure centre on third night of violence in Northern Ireland

The PSNI deployed riot police in Ballymena for a third night as a significant crowd gathered in the area

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3 d. ago ‘In 14 years, never anything like this’: Ballymena’s foreigners describe fear after rioting

Some residents put up union jacks in an attempt to be spared from attacks while others say their windows were smashedWhen the mob comes hunting down Clonavon Road, the foreigners who remain entrust their fate to stickers on front doors and flags on windows that signal they are the good foreigners, the foreigners who cause no trouble, and deserve to be spared.“Filipino lives here,” declare posters with the Filipino flag, pasted as talismans against destruction. Other families have erected union jacks and loyalist bunting in hope of deflecting the crowd’s wrath and avoiding selection. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Ballymena riots explained as police call for calm following 'racist thuggery'

Rioters descended on the streets of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where they are tearing through a neighbourhood rocked by a recent alleged sexual assault

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3 d. ago Watch: Moment Ballymena rioter sets himself on fire as violence erupts for second night

Cars and properties set on fire in Ballymena as rioters hurl petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers

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3 d. ago Second night of rioting in Ballymena leaves 17 police officers injured

Racially motivated attacks have left families in fear, say police, after unrest broke out over alleged sexual assaultA second night of rioting has left 17 police officers injured and caused damage to several homes, businesses and vehicles in Ballymena in Northern Ireland.A crowd launched a “sustained attack” on officers on Tuesday night by hurling petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks in the County Antrim town, a police spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Idiot rioter accidentally sets himself on fire after Molotov cocktail disaster in Ballymena

Fireworks and bottles were thrown at police in a second night of Ballymena violence but one idiot's attempt backfired spectacularly and bit him on the backside – literally

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3 d. ago Ballymena riots: Fireworks and petrol bombs thrown at police as violence erupts

Fireworks and petrol bombs were thrown at police as violence erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday (11 June).

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